TLK Strategies 2017Speech Spiritual

Tru here. This is transcript for “Psychological” section of my speech on Person-Centered Compensation Strategies.
Dementia Action Alliance 2017 conference in Atlanta GA on 2017-Jul 27.
This is the second of four quadrants and Video Link is at bottom of Blog Posting.
Further detail for various aspects are also in Links at bottom of Blog Posting.

Okay … Spiritually what are my current Abilities, dys-Abilities and strategies?

I think spiritual life may carry stronger feelings than any other category.
For many folks this is what guides the ship
… but for others it makes them really uncomfortable, so I’ll keep this short.

First, I want to note the “Wings of Prayer” drawing by Sunny Chandra of Singapore,
and the meditation drawing from McNair Scholar’s Rock.

Maybe YOUR spiritual strategies involve connecting with the earth thru gardening, or time with the woods, desert, or ocean.
… To each his own.

As the Person loses ability to travel and control of their time, their clothing, and their environment, their Belief System may become cloudy and inconsequential,
or it might become even more crucial to their identity and personal well-being.

Theology has been a major interest of mine since I was very young.
But now I don’t remember the ancient languages of scripture. The words are familiar, but meanings are lost.

So since dementia intensified, prayer and relationship has taken priority.

Also, my more recent belief changes are getting fuzzy;
Why did I decide that ?
and when reminded, I only remember for a few minutes.

Beliefs, rituals, and hymns from my younger years are again comforting.
I know that I disagreed with some of the theology
… but I don’t remember why.

So this year we had a Christmas tree again.

I remember I had strong reasons for discontinuing a tree but …

When I ask my husband why we don’t have a Christmas tree (over and over again)
… It’s time to have a Christmas tree again. ((LOL))

And now it’s different.With my dementia symptoms I don’t remember the theological background;I remember the family moments from my youth.

While many aspects of life are declining,
my spiritual life is continually growing.
Non-word communication creates an unbelievably rich exciting relationship connection!

For me personally, Creator’s love is the anchoring absolute of my life.
It’s the lodestar of truth
that anchors the circumstances I find myself in,
and guides my decisions,